


Romantic Lunch for Two

by Burgie



Series: Katja Joins Team Good AU [63]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 21:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9788849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Walter tries to organise a Valentine's lunch date with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Catherine is a little disorganised.





	

Mandy could smell sunflowers when she woke up. She smiled, and opened her eyes expecting to see her boyfriend. But he wasn’t there. There was just a bunch of sunflowers in a vase with a pink ribbon tied around them, and a note on a pale pink, heart-shaped piece of paper on her bedside table next to the vase.

_“Happy Valentine’s Day, my little sunflower. Meet me at Catherine’s.  
-Wx”_

Grinning, Mandy took a big sniff of the sunflowers and hopped out of bed. Catherine’s Café had been their go-to date place for Valentine’s Day every year since they’d begun dating. Catherine was a nice old lady, one who gave them too many sweets and free Valentine’s cakes every year. Louisa said that she’d always been that way, and she still got all scatterbrained every major holiday. Mandy thought she was adorable, and not just because she always had a table for her and her boyfriend. Catherine also frequently cooed over them.

Mandy changed into her pale pink dress, which she’d received for another Valentine’s Day gift last year, and pulled on a black pair of tights so that riding would be more comfortable. Finally, she stepped into her bathroom and braided her hair, putting on a little lip gloss as well. Sometimes she liked to dress up and look pretty, but she knew from experience that she’d inevitably have to help out Catherine with some last-minute Valentine’s Day preparations. It was the same every year. Mandy wouldn’t have it any other way. All she needed now was her floppy sun hat with a sunflower tucked into the pale pink ribbon tied around it. She found it in her bedroom, sitting on her dresser, and tucked one of the fresh sunflowers into the ribbon band before putting it on her head.

“I’m going to Catherine’s, mum,” Mandy called on her way past her parents’ bedroom door. They always slept in on Valentine’s Day, spending the entire day cuddling and kissing and being adorable. So did everyone else in the bunker. Evie went out with Summer, though, and Mark was away at sea with his pirate friends. Mandy heard some kind of affirmative noise and continued on, briefly deactivating the wards as she passed through and then reactivating them in the entry corridor. Once outside, sparks trailed from her fingers as Mandy traced runes in the air to disable the forcefield.

At last, after going through several more layers of security, Mandy collected Frostking from New Hillcrest Stables and rode him away towards Jarlaheim. Her fjord nickered his happiness upon being reunited with her, even if they had only been separated for a night. It was a Soul Rider thing, passed down to Mandy from her mama.

Mandy saw Walter’s massive Shire before she saw her boyfriend, and she left Frostking tied up next to the larger horse at the small café’s fence. Then, she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and gave him a kiss.

“Hey,” said Mandy, smiling at him. He smiled back at her.

“Hi, sunflower,” said Walter. Mandy blushed, and Walter kissed her. “I already booked a table for us.”

“Thank you,” said Mandy. “Let’s go talk to Catherine.”

“The lovebirds!” Catherine cried upon seeing them. “Oh, hello! Isn’t today just so romantic? You can really feel the romance in the air.”

“Yes, you really can,” said Mandy, holding Walter’s hand. “We have a table.”

“Oh, yes, of course you do, but first, could you maybe help me with something?” asked Catherine. Mandy laughed.

“Menu-making and table-setting and help with baking?” Mandy listed.

“Yes,” said Catherine, blushing. “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” said Mandy. “Come on, Walter, it’s not so much.”

“But I’m hungry,” said Walter.

“Right, I forgot you rise at dawn,” said Mandy. “Don’t worry, Catherine bakes an entire batch of cupcakes every time so you’ll have plenty to eat.”

“Okay,” said Walter, nodding. “You’ve convinced me.” Mandy smiled and walked over to the little serving cart, where there was already pink paper and a pair of scissors.

“This happens every year,” said Mandy as they glued hearts onto the menus. “Catherine gets scatterbrained and caught up thinking about her past loves, and then I end up having to help her set up for Valentine’s Day. But I don’t mind.”

“Because you get free food?” asked Walter.

“No, I just like helping,” said Mandy. “Come on, now we have to put the menus and candles on the tables.”

“And then what?” asked Walter.

“Then we ask Susanna and Martina for eggs and milk, then we bring Catherine those ingredients a few times, then we test the first batch. And then we get some berries and add those to the ingredients list, then test them again, and then we go get chocolate and that makes the perfect little cakes,” said Mandy as they put out the menus and candles.

“Why don’t you tell her this to start with?” asked Walter. “Or write the recipe down? It’d save a lot of trouble.”

“Free food,” said Mandy. “And she pays me for collecting the ingredients and tasting the cakes.”

“Clever,” said Walter. “Who taught you that?”

“My mother taught me to always take advantage of a situation if I can,” said Mandy.

Just as Mandy had said, Catherine sent them out to get eggs and milk once the tables had been set.

“How often do you visit your grandmother?” asked Mandy as they rode up to the Sunfield farm. It was still the same, very small with naughty chickens and cats, but a new building had been built on the farm some time ago. There was also a stable housing horses, which the family had begun breeding after the Goldspurs had told them how lucrative that business was on Jorvik.

“Not as often as I should,” said Walter. “It’s a long way out here, and I don’t have much reason to come here. Mum and dad aren’t exactly friendly with dad’s parents.”

“Surely they’d like to see their grandson,” said Mandy.

“Heh, well, I haven’t seen them in a while. And the first thing they’ll see is that I have a girlfriend,” said Walter.

“That’s definitely a good look,” said Mandy, giggling. “’Hey grandma, hey grandpa, I know we haven’t talked in a while, but this is my girlfriend.’”

“It sounds bad when you put it that way,” said Walter. “But I do want them to meet you.”

“They’ve already met me,” said Mandy. “I do work for people around here sometimes, and so does mama.”

“Yeah, but not as my girlfriend,” said Walter. Mandy rode closer to him and took his big hand in her small one.

“It’ll be fine,” said Mandy. Walter smiled at her.

“Mandy’s here!” Freja cried out, spying them from her spot on the swing seat in the yard. She set down the kitten she’d been holding and jumped to her feet, running over to greet the two riders.

“Hi, Freja,” said Mandy. “This is Walter.”

“Yeah, he’s my nephew,” said Freja. “Hi, Walter!”

“Hi, Freja,” said Walter, smiling at his youngest aunt. “How are the kittens?”

“Growing up fast,” said Freja. “They’ll be ready to sell in a few weeks. Do you want one?”

“I’ll think about it,” said Walter. “We’re here to see your mum.”

“I thought I heard big hoofsteps,” said Martina, appearing on the front step of the main house. “Walter, Mandy, good to see you two again. What brings you here?”

“Catherine needs some milk for baking,” said Mandy.

“Same as last year,” said Martina with a chuckle. “That woman never learns. You know what to do.”

“With two sets of hands, the work will get done twice as fast,” said Mandy, dismounting her fjord. Walter dismounted his Shire and they walked to the cattle barn, where the cows were waiting to be milked.

“When do we get to eat?” asked Walter, and Mandy laughed as his stomach growled.

“Soon,” said Mandy. Martina saw their joined hands as they walked back out into the farm yard.

“Oh, you two are a couple,” said Martina.

“Yeah, we’ve been dating for a while,” said Mandy. 

“So can I expect great grandchildren anytime soon?” Martina teased. Mandy and Walter both blushed.

“No, we’re careful,” said Walter. “And we have no plans for children.”

“Well, tell your parents to give you a sibling, Walter,” said Martina. “My family may not be as big as the Goldspurs, but not from lack of trying.”

“I’ll… let them know,” said Walter, still blushing.

A few trips later, Catherine gave the pair a plate of muffins.

“Test these, see how people like them,” said Catherine. Walter immediately took a bit out of one, making an appreciative noise at the taste.

“They’re delicious,” said Walter, quickly finishing one and then taking another.

“I know,” said Mandy, also taking one as they rode up towards Jarlaheim. “She actually bakes these as plain muffins when she’s not all frazzled.”

“I’ll remember to come here and buy some for breakfast, then,” said Walter. “If she’s open that early.”

“Yeah, Catherine opens early,” said Mandy. “She has to, in this farming community.”

Sure enough, the muffins weren’t special enough for Catherine’s liking, so she sent the pair out into Greendale.

“Remember when I first saw you here?” said Walter as they rode into the green forest.

“You thought I was a fairy princess,” said Mandy. “You were almost right. Just, wrong mythological creature.” She laughed, showing her sharp teeth.

“And you were too scared to approach me,” said Walter. “I’m glad you got over your fear.”

“Me too,” said Mandy. She spied a strawberry bush and dismounted, picking a few handfuls and putting them in a small pouch. Walter found a blueberry bush not far away and busied himself collecting them.

“I grew up eating these,” said Walter, stuffing a handful into his mouth. “The best berries in the world.”

“One of the women in the bunker bakes really good strawberry cakes,” said Mandy. “I don’t know who but it’s not one of my mothers. Mama likes cooking but she’s usually too busy doing magic or fixing broken things. Or kissing mum. And mum used to cook when I was a baby, but she’s not a baker.”

“Maybe it’s Elizabeth?” asked Walter.

“I don’t know,” said Mandy, shrugging. “But whoever it is, they probably use these berries. They’re so yummy, I’d recognise their taste anywhere.”

There were a few bushes quite close to their treehouse, which had once belonged to Walter’s parents but now was used exclusively by Walter and Mandy.

“You know, I have the key,” said Mandy, glancing up at their little lovenest. “We could… you know.” She gave Walter a knowing look.

“No, I’m too hungry,” said Walter. “And I want to go on this date with you.”

“Alright,” said Mandy. “Probably a good idea, too. Those cakes are worth all this work.”

The next ingredient Catherine requested, after gushing about her former loves, was chocolate. Walter grinned upon learning that he had to see his maternal grandparents to get the cocoa.

“Walter!” Idun cried upon seeing him. “Hello, my favourite and only grandson.” Walter dismounted so his grandmother could grab him in a crushing hug, and laughed as she patted him on the back.

“It’s good to see you too, grandma,” said Walter. “We’re here to get some ingredients for Catherine’s Valentine cakes.”

“I’ll have the twins fetch it for you,” said Idun. “Come in, sit and talk with me.”

“I’d love to but I have a date with my girlfriend,” said Walter.

“Well then, I suppose we’ll have to talk outside,” said Idun. “How have you been, Walter?”

“I’ve been good,” said Walter. “Working hard, you know. I broke in my first foal last week.”

“Wonderful!” Idun applauded. “Foals are hard enough to deal with, but Shire foals are bigger and trickier.”

“I know, but I read your notes on them and it helped a lot,” said Walter.

“I’m glad,” said Idun. “And how are you, Mandy?”

“Very well,” said Mandy. “I’ve also been working hard.” Mostly on spells, but Idun didn’t need to know that. The woman wasn’t a skeptic, but she was a little wary about magic. It had taken her a long time just to get used to Mandy’s sharp teeth.

“Good,” said Idun. “I’m glad my grandson’s girlfriend isn’t a slacker.”

“Oh yeah, Mandy’s always working hard,” said Walter. “She inherited a good work ethic from her mama.” They continued to chat for a while, and then a commotion in one of the silos alerted them to the presence of the twins.

“I’ll see what that’s all about,” said Mandy, getting to her feet. Idun made her a little uncomfortable, she was just such a strong woman.

Crawling into the silo revealed a squabbling Hannibal and Alexander.

“Aren’t you two a little old for such childish squabbling?” Mandy asked. Upon hearing her voice, they stopped their fighting and ran over to their nephew’s girlfriend.

“Mandy!” Hannibal called. “Hi!”

“Hi,” said Mandy, smiling at them and giving them both a hug. “Weren’t you two supposed to be getting cocoa and sugar?”

“Yeah, but I wanted to get the sugar,” said Alexander.

“Only so you could accidentally poke a hole in it and eat some,” said Hannibal.

“Hey, hey,” said Mandy sternly, frowning at them. “I’ll take the sugar and one of you can take the cocoa.”

“You can take it,” said Hannibal, shoving the bag at his brother.

“No, you can,” said Alexander, shoving it back. Mandy could sense another fight brewing, so she sighed.

“Never mind, I’ll take them both myself,” said Mandy, holding one bag under each arm. She crawled back out of the silo, putting the bags down for a moment to do so, and then carried them over to Idun and Walter.

“Oh, Mandy, you didn’t have to get them,” said Idun.

“If I didn’t, there would’ve been a fight and flour and cocoa everywhere,” said Mandy. Idun scowled.

“Those boys,” she growled. “Ooh, just wait ‘til I get my hands on them!”

“I’ll leave you to it,” said Mandy. “C’mon, Walter, let’s get this stuff back to Catherine so we can finally have our date.”

On the ride back, Mandy nibbled at the one fruity muffin that Idun and Walter had left for her. The Goldspurs were famous for their appetite, but they had the body type that required a lot of food.

“You’re making me blush,” Walter muttered, feeling his girlfriend looking at him.

“Sorry,” said Mandy, and giggled. “You’re hungry for food and I’m hungry for something else.”

“That makes me feel good,” said Walter.

“I’m glad,” said Mandy, and smiled.

At last, Catherine emerged from the kitchen with a tray of perfectly-frosted little cupcakes.

“How are these?” asked Catherine, standing back and nervously fiddling with her fingers as she watched the pair sample the treats.

“Perfect,” said Mandy after taking a bite. Walter was too busy eating his to answer, but he gave a thumbs-up.

“Oh, thank goodness,” said Catherine, collapsing into a chair at a table. “I thought I’d never get it right. Now I just have to get baking, would you two mind handing those out while I do that?”

“Not a problem,” said Mandy.

After handing out the cupcakes (which were, as usual, received with many compliments), Mandy and Walter finally got to sit down at a little table and begin their date.

“Never a dull moment in Jorvik,” said Walter.

“Always something to do,” Mandy agreed. “But I like this better.”

“I do too,” said Walter. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” said Mandy. They shared a kiss, and then finally dug into their romantic lunch for two.


End file.
